Baler pick-up lift assembly

ABSTRACT

A pick-up lift assembly for raising the pick-up for a hay baler to a transport position or lowering the pick-up to a working position and for holding the pick-up in the desired position. The lift assembly includes a lift arm with a series of notches pivotally attached to the pick-up and retained on the side of the bale chamber by guides. The lift arm is raised by a rope which is pulled by a drive shaft that forms a capstan drive. A lift latch engages the notches in the lift arm to hold the pick-up in the desired position. An overcenter coil spring is connected to bias the lift latch into or out of engagement with the notches. Upon raising the pick-up with the rope from the transport position, a first cam on the lift arm contacts a first cam surface on the upper portion of the lift latch and cams the latch until the coil spring is moved past center and biases the lift latch away from the notches. The pick-up and lift arm can then be lowered until a second cam contacts a second cam surface on the lift latch and cams the latch until the coil spring is moved past center and biases the lift latch toward the notches. The lift latch then engages one of the notches preventing further lowering of the lift arm and holding the pick-up in a working position. The second cam is adjustable relative to the notches to adjust the working position. The lift arm is attached to the pick-up by a linkage assembly which includes a lost motion connection and a spring which assist the pick-up to float up over obstructions.

United States Patent Reuter et al.

[541 BALER PICK-UP LIFT ASSEMBLY [72] Inventors: Floyd W. Renter,Dearbom Heights; Frank T. Herrick, Pontiac, both of [58] Field of Search..56I34l, 342, 343, 364; 74/535, 74/534, 532, 527

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,592,631 7/1926 Haehl..74/533 2,431,828 12/1947 Raney ..56/4l 2,826,933 3/1958 Schumacher..74/5 35 2,892,351 6/1959 McCarty ..74/17.5 2,955,405 10/1960 McDuffie..56l341 3,572,022 3/1971 Smith ..56/341 Primary Examiner-Russell R.Kinsey Attorney-Gerhardt, Greenlee & Farris [15] 3,684,026 [4 1 Aug. 15,1972 [57] ABSTRACT A pick-up lift assembly for raising the pick-up for ahay baler to a transport position or lowering the pickup to a workingposition and for holding the pick-up in the desired position. The liftassembly includes a lift arm with a series of notches pivotally attachedto the pick-up and retained on the side of the bale chamber by guides.The lift arm is raised by a rope which is pulled by a drive shaft thatforms a capstan drive. A lift latch engages the notches in the lift armto hold the pick-up in the desired position. An overcenter coil springis connected to bias the lift latch into or out of engagement with thenotches. Upon raising the pickup with the rope from the transportposition, a first cam on the lift arm contacts a first cam surface onthe upper portion of the lift latch and cams the latch until the coilspring is moved past center and biases the lift latch away from thenotches. The pick-up and lift arm can then be lowered until a second camcontacts a second earn surface on the lift latch and cams the latchuntil the coil spring is moved past center and biases the lifi latchtoward the notches. The lift latch then engages one of the notchespreventing further lowering of the lift arm and holding the pick-up in aworking position. The second cam is adjustable relative to the notchesto adjust the working position. The lift arm is attached to the pick-upby a linkage assembly which includes a lost motion connection and aspring which assist the pick-up to float up over obstructions.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PAIENTEBMIB m2 3.684.028

SHEET 1 BF 2 mvsmoas FLOYD W. REUTER BY FRANK T. HERRICK ATTORNEYS mmmwmI912 3.684.026

SHL'EI 2 OF 2 759C 6 m INVENTORS FLOYD W REUTER BY FRANK T. HERRICKHMQWMM Q BALER PICK-UP LIFT ASSEMBLY This invention relates to animproved hay baler and more specifically to a pick-up lift assembly forraising and lowering a pick-up for a baler.

Hay balers, which are pulled through a hay field by tractor, normallyhave a pick-up assembly for picking hay up of! the ground and feedingthe hay into a feed housing. From the feed housing the hay is conveyedinto the bale chamber, by packer fingers, where it is compressed andtied to form a bale.

The pick-up normally has rows of teeth which protrude through the spacebetween a series of arcuate stripper assemblies to pick hay up off theground and convey it into the feed housing. The teeth are mounted on adrum which is rotated by the pick-up drive. The pick-up is pivotallyattached to the frame of the baler so that the teeth can contact theground for operation or be raised above the ground for transport.

The pick-up preferably includes an adjustable gage wheel which lets thepick-up float over rough spots in the field. However, the gage wheeldoes not raise the pick-up high enough above the ground for crossingirrigation ditches or for road transport. With most hay balers it isnecessary for the operator to get off the tractor, physically raise thepick-up, fasten the pick-up in the raised position and then return tothe tractor. For transporting the baler from one field to another it isnot too tiring for the operator to get ofi the tractor to raise thepick-up. However, if there are a number of obstructions in the field,such as irrigation ditches which must be crossed, in addition to losingconsiderable working time the operator will eventually tire of climbingoff and on the tractor.

The hay baler of this invention includes a frame supported on wheels, abale chamber mounted on the frame and a feed housing mounted on theframe. A packer assembly is mounted on the frame to feed hay from thefeed housing to the bale chamber. A pick-up is pivotally attached to thebaler frame to pick hay up off the ground and feed it into the feedhousing. A pick-up lift assembly is provided to assist the operator inmoving the pickup between a transport position and a working positionwithout leaving the tractor. The pickup lift assembly includes a pick-uplift arm with a series of notches and a lift latch, capable of engagingeach of the notches in the lift arm, pivotally attached to the baler.The lift latch is biased into or out of engagement with the notches inthe lift arm by an overcenter spring. The lift latch and overcenterspring are tripped into or out of engagement with the notches by a pairof cams which engage cam surfaces on the lift latch. The lift armincludes a lost motion mechanism which is capable of permitting thepick-up to float up and down as the baler moves through a field. Theworking position of the baler pick-up is adjustable by adjusting theposition of one of the cams relative to the notches on the lift arm. Thepick-up is raised and lowered by a rope which is trained around a shaftthat forms a capstan type drive. One end of the rope is attached to thepick-up and the other end is pulled by the operator.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described withreference to the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a hay baler employing thenovel pick-up lift assembly of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the pick-uplift assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the latch portion of the pick-uplift assembly shown in FIGS. 1 and FIG. 4 is a front elevation of thelatch portion of the pick-up lift assembly shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the latch portion of the pick-up liftassembly taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the latch portion of the pick-up liftassembly taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 3.

The pick-up lift assembly of this invention is for use on a conventionalhay baler. The baler, a portion of which is shown in the drawingincludes a frame 10 supported by wheels 12. A pick-up 14 is pivotallyattached to the frame 10 by a pair of support assemblies 16 which arerigidly attached to the frame. The support assemblies 16 each include aU-shaped bracket 18 which support a circular tube 20 extending from eachside of the rear portion of the pick-up 14. The circular tube 20 is heldin the U-shaped brackets 18 for pivotal movement by removable pins 22.

The pick-up 14 includes a pair of end plates 24 and 26, a plurality ofarcuate stripper sections 28 and pickup fingers 30. The pick-up fingers30 are mounted on a drum which is rotated so that the pick-up fingerslift hay off the ground and convey the hay up and to the rear on thearcuate stripper sections 28.

A gage wheel 32 is rotatably attached to a support arm 34 by an axle 36.The support arm 34 is adjustably connected to a bracket 38 on the endplate 24 by a bolt 40. The gage wheel 32 limits movement of the pick-up14 about the axis of the circular tube 20 to control contact of thepick-up fingers 30 with the ground. The gage wheel 32 also assists thepick-up 14 to move over uneven fields.

The hay from the pick-up 14 is moved from the arcuate stripper sections28 and into the feed housing 42. The feed housing 42 is defined by abottom plate 44, a rear wall 46 and one side wall 48, all of which arerigidly attached to the frame 10.

The hay received in the feed housing 42 is conveyed away from the sidewall 48 and into the open side of a bale chamber 50 by a conventionalpacker fork assembly 52. The packer fork assembly 52, which is partiallyhidden by the packer cover assembly 54, includes two sets of packerfingers 56. The packer fingers 56 are driven by a packer fork assemblydrive so as to convey hay from the feed housing 42 to the bale chamber.A packer relief spring assembly 58 is operatively connected to thepacker fingers 56 of the packer fork 60 adjacent to the bale chamber 50by a pin 62. The packer relief spring assembly 58 limits the force whichthe packer fingers 56 adjacent to the bale chamber 50 apply to the hayconveyed into the open side of the bale chamber. The packer forkassembly drive and the pickup 14 are driven by a drive shaft 64 shown inFIG. 2. The drive shaft 64, which is under the packer cover assembly 54,is rotated in a counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 2.

A conventional plunger in the bale chamber 50 compresses the hay fedinto the bale chamber by the packer fingers 56 into a bale. Wire ortwine is tied around the compressed bale by a conventional knotterbefore the bales are forced out of the bale chamber 50 by the plunger.The plunger is connected to a crank shaft by a connecting rod. The crankshaft, which is under the plunger crank cover 66, is driven toreciprocate the plunger back and forth in the bale chamber 50.

A pick up lift assembly 68 which is best shown in FIG. 2 is provided forraising and lowering the pick-up 14. The pick-up lift assembly 68includes a base plate 70 rigidly attached to the side of the balechamber 50 by bolts 72. A lift arm 74 with one end attached to the endplate 26 of the pick-up 14 is spaced to one side of the base plate 70and the bale chamber 50 where it is guided for vertical movement. Thelower guide 76 for the lift arm 74 is bolted to the side of the balechamber 50 below the base plate 70 by bolts 78. The lower guide 76 has avertical opening with the same size and shape as a cross section of thelift arm 74. The upper rear guide 80 is a flat member welded to the baseplate 70 with a notch 82 as shown in FIG. for receiving the rear edge ofthe lift arm 74. The upper front guide is formed by a flat member 84,with a notch 86 in one corner, welded to the base plate 70 and a metalstrap 88 welded to the edge of the flat member 84 so as to overlap thenotch 86 and to extend up above the flat member 84. The metal strap 88is adjacent to the notches 90 in the forward edge of the lift arm 74 toprevent the notches 90 from catching on the flat member 84.

The pick-up 14 is raised by a rope 92 with one end attached to the liftarm 74 by a clamp 94 and a bolt 96. The rope 92 extends up from theclamp 94, between the lift arm 74 and the base plate 70, around a pulley98 pivotally attached to the upper portion of the base plate 70 by ashaft 100, through an aperture 102 in the packer cover assembly 54,around the drive shaft 64 at least one complete turn, through theaperture 103 and to a point adjacent to the operator's station. Whenthere is little or no tension on the rope 92, the drive shaft 64 turnsfree. When the operator pulls on the end of the rope 92 adjacent to theoperator's station, the drive shaft 64 becomes a capstan and pulls onthe rope 92 thereby raising the lift arm 74 vertically in the guides andraising the pick-up 14.

If the operator reduces the tension on the rope 92, friction between therope 92 and the surface of the drive shaft is reduced and the lift arm74 is free to move down. A lug 93 is welded to the base plate 70 to keepthe rope 92 on the pulley 98 when the rope 92 is loose.

A lift latch 104 is provided to hold the lift arm 74 in the desiredposition. The lift latch 104 is pivotally supported on a pin 106extending horizontally from a plate 108 welded to the base plate 70. Thelift latch 104 is retained on the pin 106 by a cotter pin 110. The uppersurface 111 of the lift latch !04 engages one of the notches 90 in theforward edge of the lift arm 74 when the lift latch 104 is rotatedcounterclockwise about the pin 106 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 therebypreventing further downward movement of the lift arm 74.

A coil spring 112 best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has one end pivotallyreceived in an aperture 114 in the lower portion of the lift latch 104.The other end of the coil spring 112 is pivotally received in anaperture 118 in the plate 108. The axes of both apertures 114 and 1 18are parallel to the axis of the pin 106. The aperture 118 is spacedfarther from the pin 106 than the aperture 114. Since the coil spring112 tends to uncoil, the lift latch 104 is biased in a counterclockwisedirection about the pin 106 as shown in FIG. 3. When the aperture 114crosses an imaginary line between the aperture 118 and the axis of thepin 106, during clockwise rotation of the lift latch 104 about the axisof the pin 106 as shown in FIG. 3, the coil spring 112 tends to bias thelift latch 104 in a clockwise direction. The portion of the lift latch104 below the axis of the pin 106 is a skirt 120 as shown in FIG. 4which does not contact the lift ann 74.

When the operator pulls on the rope 92, the lift arm 74 is movedvertically upward in the guides with the help of the drive shaft 64. Thesurface 122 of the lift latch 104 slides along the ramp portion 124 ofone of the notches 90, thereby rotating the lift latch 104 against thecoil spring and out of the notch 90. As the lift arm 74 continues tomove vertically up the lift latch will be biased into each notch by thecoil spring 1 12. Any time the tension in the rope 92 is released, theupper surface 111 of the lift latch 104 will engage the closest highernotch 90 as the lift arm 74 moves down and thereby prevents furtherdownward movement of the lift arm 74. The lowest notch 90 on the liftarm 74 is for transport only. The notches 90 adjacent to the upper endof the lift arm 74 are for operation of the baler.

To move the lift arm 74 from the transport position to the workingposition, the lift arm 74 is raised so that the first cam 126 on theforward edge of the lift arm 74 contacts a first cam surface 128 on theupper portion of the lift latch 104. Continued upward movement of thelift arm 74 results in the lift latch 104 being rotated clockwise by thefirst cam 126 until the coil spring 112 moves over center and biases theupper surface 111 and the surface 122 of the lift latch 104 away fromthe notches 90. If desired, a stop can be provided which will stopfurther upward movement of the lift arm 74. The stop could be aprojection on the lift arm 74 which would contact the upper rear guide80. After the coil spring 112 has moved to a position where the liftlatch 104 is biased in a clockwise direction about the pin 106 as viewedin FIG. 3, a release of tension in the rope 92 will allow the lift arm74 to move downward in the guides. As the lift arm 74 moves down, thelower portion of a second cam 130, attached to the side of the lift arm74 by bolts 132 and 134, will contact a second cam surface 136 on theskirt of the lift latch 104 that is adjacent to the side of the lift arm74. As the lift arm 74 continues to move downward, the lift latch 104 isrotated counterclockwise, about the axis of the pin 106 as viewed inFIG. 3, by the second earn 130 until the coil spring 112 is moved to aposition in which the upper surface 111 and the surface 122 of the liftlatch 104 are biased toward the notches 90. The lift latch 104 willengage the first notch 90 which it contacts thereby preventing furtherdownward movement of the lift arm 74.

Several notches 90 are provided in the upper portion of the lift arm 74so that the working position of the pick-up 14 can be varied. Theadjustment in the working position of the pick-up 14 is made by changingthe position of the lower end of the second cam 130 relative to thenotches 90. This adjustment is made by removing the bolts 132 and 134,moving the angle iron which forms the second cam 130 up or down relativeto the notches 90 to the desired position and then reinserting the bolts132 and 134 in the appropriate holes 138. A sleeve 135 is placed on thebolt 132 to fonn a handle for raising the lift arm 74 when the driveshaft 64 is not running.

The lower end of the lift arm 74 is pivotally attached to the end plate26 of the pick-up 14 by a rod 140. The lower end of the rod 140 isinserted through an aperture in a wear plate 142 welded to the end plate26. The rod 140 can be retained in the wear plate 142 by being bent asillustrated in FIG. 4, or a cotter pin could be inserted through the rod140. The upper end of the rod 140 is attached to the lift arm 74 bybeing inserted through an aperture 144 in a bracket 146 welded to theside of the lift arm 74. A stop member 148 that is rigidly attached tothe upper end of the rod 140 contacts the upper surface of the bracket146 thereby limiting downward movement of the pick-up 14 relative to thelift arm 74. The rod 140 is free to move up through the aperture 144 toallow the pick-up 14 to float up over obstructions.

A compression spring 150 is retained on the upper portion of the rod 140between the bracket 146 and a washer 152 held on the top of the rod 140by a pin 154. The pin 154 is held in an aperture through the rod 140 bya standard retainer spring 156. The compression spring 150 is held inthe proper position by a retainer skirt 158 on the washer 152 and thestop member 148 which forms an internal guide for the compression spring150. The compression spring tends to lifi the pick-up 14 therebyassisting the pick-up to float over obstructions.

In operation, the pick-up 14 is moved from the transport position withthe lift latch 104 in engagement with the lower notch 90 in the lift arm74 by placing tension in the rope 92. The tension in the rope 92 causesthe drive shaft 64 to raise the lift arm 74 in the guides until the liftlatch 104 is cammed by a first earn 126 to a position in which the coilspring 112 holds the lift latch 104 out of contact with the lift arm 74and the notches 90. Tension in the rope is then released. This allowsthe pick-up l4 and the lift arm 74 to move down until the lift latch 104is cammed by a second cam 130 to a position in which the coil spring 112biases the lift latch 104 toward the lift arm 74. Continued downwardmovement of the lift arm 74 causes the lift latch 104 to engage theclosest notch 90 and thereby prevent further downward movement of thepick-up 14. The notch 90 which the lift latch 104 engages duringlowering of the pick-up 14 from the transport position depends upon theposition of the lower end of the second earn 130 relative to the liftarm 74. To raise the pick-up 14 to the transport position, tension ismaintained on the rope 92 to raise the pick-up 14 until the lift latch104 engages the lower notch 90 in the lilt arm 74.

We claim:

1. An improved hay baler having a frame, wheels to support the frame, abale chamber mounted on the frame, a feed housing mounted on the frame,a packer assembly capable of feeding hay from the feed housing to thebale chamber mounted on the frame, a pick-up capable of conveying hayfrom the ground to the feed housing pivotally attached to the frame anddrive f'asfirib ffiafb ra$5li$$h3 ffr'rr port position or lowering thepick-up to a working position and holding the pick-up in the desiredposition, including a pick-up lift arm, a series of notches in the lifiarm, a lift latch capable of engaging each of the notches in the liftarm to prevent movement of the lift arm relative to the lift latch inone direction, pin means pivotally attaching the lift latch to thebaler, an overcenter spring capable of biasing the lift latch into andout of engagement with the notches in the lift arm, a first cam surfaceon the lift latch, a second cam surface on the lift latch, a first camon the lift arm capable of engaging the first cam surface on the liftlatch when the pick-up is raised above the transport position by thepick-up lift and pivoting the lift latch until the overcenter springmoves past center and holds the lift latch out of contact with thenotches in the lift arm thereby allowing the pick-up to be lowered bythe force of gravity and a second cam on the lift arm capable ofengaging the second carn surface on the lift latch when the pick-up islowered and pivoting the lift latch until the overcenter spring movespast center and biases the lift latch into one of the notches in thelift arm thereby preventing further downward movement of the pickup.

2. The improved hay baler of claim 1 characterized by said lift armincluding a lost motion mechanism which is capable of permitting thepick-up to float up and down as the baler moves through a field.

3. The improved hay baler of claim 1 characterized by the second camincluding adjusting means capable of providing adjustment of the secondcam relative to at least some of the notches on the lift arm to adjustthe working position of the pick-up.

4. The improved hay baler of claim 1 characterized by the lift latchbeing attached to the bale chamber by said pin means, the lift arm beingattached to the pickup and the lift assembly further including guidemembers on the bale chamber to hold the lift arm in alignment relativeto the lift latch.

5. The improved hay baler of claim 1 characterized by the pick up liftassembly including a rope attached to the lift arm which runs around ashaft for driving the baler pick-up that forms a capstan type drive.

6. The improved hay baler of claim 1 characterized by the pick-upincluding at least one gage wheel.

7. The improved hay baler of claim 2 characterized by said lost motionmechanism including a compression spring which tend to raise thepick-up.

1. An improved hay baler having a frame, wheels to support the frame, abale chamber mounted on the frame, a feed housing mounted on the frame,a packer assembly capable of feeding hay from the feed housing to thebale chamber mounted on the frame, a pick-up capable of conveying hayfrom the ground to the feed housing pivotally attached to the frame anddrive means to drive the pick-up characterized by a pick-up liftassembly, capable of raising the pick-up to a transport position orlowering the pickup to a working position and holding the pick-up in thedesired position, including a pick-up lift arm, a series of notches inthe lift arm, a lift latch capable of engaging each of the notches inthe lift arm to prevent movement of the lift arm relative to the liftlatch in one direction, pin means pivotally attaching the lift latch tothe baler, an overcenter spring capable of biasing the lift latch intoand out of engagement with the notches in the lift arm, a first camsurface on the lift latch, a second cam surface on the lift latch, afirst cam on the lift arm capable of engaging the first cam surface onthe lift latch when the pick-up is raised above the transport positionby the pick-up lift and pivoting the lift latch until the overcenterspring moves past center and holDs the lift latch out of contact withthe notches in the lift arm thereby allowing the pick-up to be loweredby the force of gravity and a second cam on the lift arm capable ofengaging the second cam surface on the lift latch when the pick-up islowered and pivoting the lift latch until the overcenter spring movespast center and biases the lift latch into one of the notches in thelift arm thereby preventing further downward movement of the pick-up. 2.The improved hay baler of claim 1 characterized by said lift armincluding a lost motion mechanism which is capable of permitting thepick-up to float up and down as the baler moves through a field.
 3. Theimproved hay baler of claim 1 characterized by the second cam includingadjusting means capable of providing adjustment of the second camrelative to at least some of the notches on the lift arm to adjust theworking position of the pick-up.
 4. The improved hay baler of claim 1characterized by the lift latch being attached to the bale chamber bysaid pin means, the lift arm being attached to the pick-up and the liftassembly further including guide members on the bale chamber to hold thelift arm in alignment relative to the lift latch.
 5. The improved haybaler of claim 1 characterized by the pick up lift assembly including arope attached to the lift arm which runs around a shaft for driving thebaler pick-up that forms a capstan type drive.
 6. The improved hay balerof claim 1 characterized by the pick-up including at least one gagewheel.
 7. The improved hay baler of claim 2 characterized by said lostmotion mechanism including a compression spring which tend to raise thepick-up.